Love is a Warm Cardigan

Sparky the Papillon snuggles with his girls.

Firsts

My daughter Lexie debuted in the ring alongside of her Papillon Sparky.
"I'm excited and scared," she told me as we climbed into the van at 5:30 this morning to head for Albany.
I didn't know if I was going to be able to watch them make their first go at it because Cardigans were almost the same time and in a different building. But I was and even got a couple of shots with my camera phone...




I am soo proud of her. Lexie is going through a shy phase and Sparky is hitting his teens with 3 Cardigan girls at home in successive phases of their heat cycle. But they both came through it alive. And Lexie was absolutely thrilled to get a red ribbon today.

The judge was awesome and supportive to Lexie. I love that!! Thank you Ms. Gloria Kerr for being so encouraging.

And Rogue and I took home a Best Bred-By, BOW and BOS under one of our favorite judges Ms. Emily Fish. Thank you, Ms. Fish. Rogue just needs one more point to finish!!!

Rogue, Karma & a little Shade

Rogue (Toreth C-Myste Rollin' On The River)
Grandma Carolyn said: "You are going to special her aren't you?"
Answer? Hell, yeah! Okay I guess I'll have to finish her first but we're just two points away.

(note to self: throw out that outfit and get a haircut!)

*****

Karma (Toreth What Goes Around Comes Around)
And around she does go! Incredible reach and drive. Fluid, floating gait. "She levitates!" exclaimed an observer at the Rose City Classic. And don't you just love a long neck on a Cardigan?!

****

Shade (Coedwig Toreth Under The Bodhi Tree)

Everything you see here, another pretty mover and a temperament to die for too!
"Under the bodhi tree" is a reference to where the Buddha is said to have achieved enlightenment.
Someone recently told me they thought she had a face that could melt butter. Well, she has definitely melted my heart.

More puppy pictures

Cora from Bend had some pro shots taken. Isn't she lovely?



Milo (FKA Leila) the Windmill looking ridiculously overjoyed.

I think their new mommies and daddies love them mucho!!

Blue and White for Rogue

Rogue (Toreth C-Myste Rollin' On The River) went Best of Winners today at the Rose City Classic.
4 points today brings Rogue up to 12. Her second major.

Thank you Ms. Joyce Vanek!

The rest of the story... for now...

What a busy, busy week. I have the best in puppy people. And none of the babies have had to grow wings to go to their new homes thus far.

Leila is now named Milo and is living with Geisha and woman named Joyce in Portland.

Cora is still Cora for now and lives in Bend, OR with Pam and Tom.

I had lousy weather for pictures so am waiting for them to send me some and will post their family portraits when those are available.

Raven moved the farthest to British Columbia. They drove all the way down to get her and she is now Moxie and in training for book store guardian and firstmate in Ruth and Sean's lives. I think they look very happy.

Addendum: Ronstew asked where the bookstore is and I meant to plug that for these awesome guys. Here is there website: Breakwater Bookstore

It turns out Boo is up for adoption as a show prospect puppy.





And I'll be growing Shade on for a while. When Boo's arrangement fell through I got a chance to look again. She's nicely balanced, pretty, lots of nice features including a wonderful temperament and well, she's black which means if she's a nice adult I can breed her to any color dog. I want to have a few options if possible. And I know there are fabulous prospects for her if she doesn't work as a part of my breeding/showing plans.
I'll post pictures soon.

And that's about it! I could use a nap. ;-)

vision testing

Sometime last spring I went in to get my eyes checked. I knew I needed glasses. Just for reading. But when the lenses were placed in front of my eyes and everything near and, even more so, distant, came into focus I felt like crying. I had been missing so much detail. And not just for reading. Maybe not blind exactly but I had lost my focus.

I thought about that experience the other day after taking Kismet into Portland to spend some time with a couple who wanted to open their home and share their lives with a special dog.

It was only 10 months ago when Celie surprised me by whelping the first of her “Luck” litter out in the dog run. Barking like crazy she got me out to find her firstborn black boy squeaking and wet. It was very lucky I found him, rushed him and mom inside and waited for the rest to come. That little boy I named Kismet and later Toreth’s Synchronicity.

As he grew I saw good things. Big, round bone. Perfect turnout. Wonderful expression. Huge ears. And the sweetest temperament. I also saw the challenges but knew I could work with them. I know I could finish him, get Celie some ROM points maybe. And then as he grew I had thoughts of breeding him.

No one said anything against his quality. At least not directly to me. In fact, judges told me how beautiful his front was and gave me unsolicited grooming advice regarding the coat. Friends were supportive.

Then one day recently it was like someone put some corrective lenses over my eyes. I saw my little group of dogs. I have three lovely girls who will only have a few opportunities to be bred. I realized I wouldn’t use Kismet myself and I doubt anyone else would.
I saw the resources of my time, energy and finances split between all the dog stuff and the non-dog stuff. It was time to get real.

A breeder, a responsible one, has to be hard sometimes. With a twinge of guilt and a tiny edge of jealousy I hear puppy buyers tell me that when they bring a dog home it’s for life. A breeder has to let go of that particular ideal while holding onto the bigger picture. And I remind myself that dogs don’t feel exactly the way we do about relationships.

So I let it be known to a few dog friends that I was letting Kismet go. And before long I received an email about him from this great couple who had lost a Cardigan and a Pembroke this year. They were missing the company only a dog can give and Carolyn sent them my way. (Thanks my friend!) Everyone seemed to know it was simply meant to be. Like kismet. Like synchronicity.

Here’s what I saw: I saw a happy, proud little dog go in and make himself at home. With the couch, the toys, and their hearts. I saw him work that canine magic on the nicest people I could ask for any of my dogs.
And I learned all over again that when I get a little perspective and let go a little I get to see beautiful things like that.